ok...i just bought a 2005 scion TC with 80,555 miles. i bought it out of state (in california) and brought it to nevada. on my road trip back home to las vegas the check engine light turned on at about 3/4 of the way home (4 hour drive). the day after i got home i took it to autozone to get the computer read and got code P0420. which could be a bad cat, rear 02 sensor, or exhaust leak. this code has been driving me crazy because i need to pass emission (smog check) to be able to register it and not knowing what the problem is specifically is stressing me out! a

is it possible for the cat to go bad at just 80k miles??
how can i check for a specific problem?

mechanic shops quoting me nearly $100 just to diagnose it! thats BS!

if its my cat, will it pass emission by getting aftermarket? its cheaper, dealer told me its $1300 to fix and muffler shop told me $550 for new cat and headers. (magnaflow brand)

one last thing. i reset my CEL light, and was wondering how long it takes for it to turn back on so i can take it to midas so they can run diagnostics? i've driven it about 70 miles since it got reset and it hasnt came back on.

i actually changed the rear cat, but i went to go get smog check and it still failed right after i changed it. is it because i took it right away and i have to wait a certain amount of cycles for the computer to pick it up? if so, how many cycles?

 

i had the same code.. it was the rear o2.. there is no real reason for the cat to go out at 80k... and if im not mistaken thats when my o2 went on my car, around 80k

 

awesome! thanks! im gonna try changing that first then. might wait for a few more replies. autozone told me $110 for just the sensor. did u get it cheaper? if so, where?

 

i got a denso for about 80 at napa. the only reason i didnt get anything differant is because toyota uses denso products on there can so i thought i would keep it as close to oem as possible.

 

I don't know if it's your sensor, but cats usually go out around 60k to 80k miles. On my 05, the cat went bad at 40k. I wouldn't go aftermarket (period), they are not as reliable as the oem cat in header. Why did you replace the rear cat? That one isn't monitored. Smog check failed means your primary cat is no good. Replacing the rear 02 sensor is probably not the first thing you want to try, though it is cheaper. Do you know if the primary cat is even on the car? Check engine light should reset right away using the right tool; will only come back on if it's a problem. You could restart your car a vague 7 times and it will reset, but I wouldn't go that direction. Toyota dealerships usually charge a minimum 1 hour fee for any work on a vehicle and it's usually about $100 per hour. Here they are $110.

I say you should order the oem primary cat and replace it as the first step. I'm guessing that's all you have to do to pass smog.

 

I didnt know it wasnt monitored. A friend of my dad that does mechanic work told me to change it, but that money just went to the trash -.- ...how much did u pay to get ur cat replaced? Im kind of on a budget. I only have $700 saved up and i still need to get insurance and registration

 

Also. Can i find the oem cat online? I keep typing in oem catalytic converter for scion tc but aftermarket parts come out. What brand is the original?

And why do some magnaflows say theyre oem? I dont think im understanding the meaning of oem. Sorry if i sound dumb but i dont really know much about these things

 

OEM is the acronym for Original Equipment Manufacturer. It basically means the original maker of the car's designated part. You can only get the oem cat from Toyota. Not many aftermarket companies will go through the trouble of making something like that, so they will most likely have universal weld in cats in which they will cut your secondary out or put one after the secondary cat. I don't think any are 50 state legal or are as reliable as a Toyota cat. I highly advise that you go with a Toyota primary as this should fix your problem gauranteed. Magnaflow does have the primary for the tC desinged after the 05-06 header, but it is NOT oem or 50 state legal. I assume being located near California and having a smog test, that means that your area has adopted to California's standards and the magnaflow means you may fail again. Who installed your secondary cat? And what brand? Toyota? If so, a Toyota primary should be your final fix as long as secondary 02 is good.

I don't work for Toyota or Lexus anymore so I don't know the part numbers, or the cost.

Mine was under warranty, so it was free.

If you can install a header, then you can install a primary cat yourself, save some money.

 

i think my catalytic converter just went out, and im thinking of just going after market and getting a whole exhaust system. would anyone recommend this if im not trying to spend the $1300 the dealer is charging me to replace it. and would this get rid of the code? will it pass emission with an aftermarket? i've seen other forums that they dont recommend going aftermarket.

(i live in nevada if that matters for emission laws)

 

You could've asked this in your other thread, however you can get a new OEM midpipe from TRDSparks.com or an OE replacement from Rockauto.com for fairly cheap. You only need the cat on the header to pass emissions/not throw a code.

 

All i see on rockauto are magnaflow and eastern brand and they both say theyre oem, does that mean those would do the job? And if theyre different brand wouldnt that mean im still going aftermarket? I heard aftermarkets only last about a year and by the time my next emission test it will fail again. They do emission tests yearly in nevada

 

I'm not sure where you read that, but it's false. I'm pretty sure car manufacturers don't make minor parts like catalytic converters in-house, so technically they'd all be aftermarket. If you're changing the primary cat, then you'll need to buy an OEM or OE replacement header.

http://www.trademotion.com/parts/200...iagram=8560141

 

So ur saying its ok to throw a magnaflow on there? I shop by my house said theyll do the header and cat for $550 magnaflow brand

 

Did you look at the link? For $300 you could do it yourself and have what came on the car. What I'm guessing they're going to do is cut the old one out and weld in a new one. I would just buy a whole new exhaust manifold.

 

Oh ok. I will probably do that then. Thanks for the help

 

is the manifold the whole piece shown on there with the cat already on it? im kind of scared to order it cuz what if they just send the headers

 

What are these headers you speak of? The main cat is attached to the exhaust manifold. People always have them in the classifieds.

 

Thats what i meant. Sorry. I dont know much about this atuff thats why im here. In this link where the number "1" is pointing to, is that whole piece included along with the cat?

http://www.trademotion.com/parts/200...iagram=8560141

 

Theres someone selling an oem exhaust manifold in the classifieds...go save some time and money and buy it

 

Or use this time to get a 49 state legal "green header" from dezod. It will cost a pretty penny, but it is an upgraded header with a high flow cat installed shown to get more power gains than the best headers on the market.